Jordan Hasay at the NCAA West XC Regional last fall
Jordan Hasay put her stamp solidly on the 2011 NCAA Indoor Championships, when she claimed two individual titles for the Oregon Ducks. On Day Two of the Indoor Championships held at the Gilliam Indoor Facility on the Texas A & M campus at College Station, Texas Jordan Hasay first garnered the Indoor Mile title with a time of 4:33.01. She passed her team mate Zoe Buckman with 400 meters to go and triumphed in a time that broke the hallowed Oregon record long held by Leanne Warren since 1982 of 3:33.26. Duke senior Kate Van Buskirk earned second in 4:33.71 to edge Oregon’s Zoe Buckman & Anne Kesselring, who like Hasay are but sophomores. Should we add that Cory MeGee, a freshman from Florida, was also a Foot Locker finalist?
Later that afternoon Hasay accepted the gauntlet in the 3,000 Meters by moving into the lead with a fair amount of the race to go. For many her move was reminiscent of the previous day ’s Distance Medley Relay, when Jordan was trailed virtually the entire last leg of the race by Villanova senior Sheila Reid before the Canadian surged away down the stretch to gain the victory for her team. Like Friday Reid was running fresh, note Jordan on Friday had to run in the prelims of the mile prior to the relay, but the similarities ended there. Reid made her bid once again coming off the last turn apparently assuming she would overhaul her underclassman rival once again but this time Hasay found something in reserve and she pulled away inexorably at the end to score yet another triumph. University of Washington freshman Megan Goethals led the race early but faded at the end to place 13th (9:23.48) and finished behind her freshman team mate Katie Flood, who finished 10th in 9:22.59. Both Flood & Goethals were also Foot Locker finalists, incidentally, as were Shelby Greany & Hannah Davidson, who place 9th & 14th respectively.
In so doing Jordan Hasay secured a victory for all former Kinney/Foot Locker runners. For years we have listened to the rather lame lament that the girls’ champions have not claimed titles, as if first place is the only position that ever mattered and that foreign runners somehow need never be taken account but tiny Jordan gave a rather resounding counter-point yesterday by claiming two national championships. For the record she joins 1981 winner Ceci Hopp who won and outdoor title & 1989 & 1990 champion Melody Fairchild, who won an indoor 3K title.